HISTORY:
The estate is located in a single block on a gravelly rise; 55 of the 72 hectares are planted with vines. The soil, consisting of gravel dating from the Gunz (or Nebraskan glacial) period, has two unique features. The first is superb natural drainage which forces the vine roots to sink more than six metres into the soil to seek nourishment in the form of water and mineral salts. The se... Read more

HISTORY:
The estate is located in a single block on a gravelly rise; 55 of the 72 hectares are planted with vines. The soil, consisting of gravel dating from the Gunz (or Nebraskan glacial) period, has two unique features. The first is superb natural drainage which forces the vine roots to sink more than six metres into the soil to seek nourishment in the form of water and mineral salts. The second is the "mirror effect", of the topsoil, whose pebbles reflect the sun's rays, helping the grapes to ripen beautifully.
The noble Bosq family started growing grapes here as early as 1365. The property was purchased in the 18th century by Scotsman George Smith, who gave the estate its present name. He also built the manor house and exported his – by now famous – wine to England on his own ships.
Monsieur Duffour-Dubergier, Mayor of Bordeaux and an enthusiastic winegrower, inherited Château Smith Haut Lafitte from his mother in 1842 and brought the wine up to great growth status.
Impressed by Smith Haut Lafitte's excellent quality, the Louis Eschenauer company distributed the wine all over the world as of the early 20th century, deciding to buy the estate in 1958. Since the Eschenaueur period came to an end, a great deal of money has been invested in the estate, notably in the construction of a superb underground cellar holding over 2,000 barrels.
In 1990, Daniel Cathiard fell in love with the property and joined the list of prestigious owners, firmly intending to further enhance Smith Haut Lafitte's tradition of excellence. He combined the most modern winemaking techniques and age-old traditional methods: organic compost, return to small wooden vats, ageing on the lees in barrel, etc.
Famous around the world for its wonderfully elegant red wine and the sophisticated bouquet of its white, Smith Haut Lafitte undoubtedly deserves the special care that is lavished on it.
OWNERS:
Daniel Cathiard is perhaps best known as a former ski champion – he was a member of the French Olympic team with Jean-Claude Killy from 1965 to 1968.
After his father's death in 1970, Daniel found himself running the family's small supermarket chain. Within 20 years, he had transformed it into the tenth largest mass distribution company in France.
At the same time, he launched and developed a chain of sporting goods shops - Go Sport - in France, Belgium, Spain, and California.
His met his wife Florence while on the ski team in 1965. She worked with him managing Genty
and Go Sport for ten years before launching her own advertising firm, later becoming
Vice President of McCann Europe in 1985.
In 1990, Daniel and Florence sold all their business interests to buy
Château Smith Haut Lafitte. After two years of massive renovations
of both the winery buildings and the 18th century manor house,
they moved into the château. They live there all year round in order
to devote themselves to their life's work – making great red and
white wines at Smith Haut Lafitte. Read less

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A Brett bomb. "Old boots" and forest underbelly masking dark fruit and graphite. Aged beyond its years. Very drinkable if you are one who enjoys the decadence and immorality of opium dens, brothels and large scale government conspiracy theories that are born in such places.

Served as a blind wine in an all CaliCab dinner. Disclaimer: I was under the impression it was a Cali so I may have gone into this wrong. :)Medium dark color. Good balance and mouthfeel. I initially spot either Petite Verdot and Cab Franc so I knew it was a blend. A bit subdued and reserved, this was pretty and elegant. I did miss my fruit though. There were some dark red cherries and plums. A little neutral oak was coming through as well. Reminded me of a few Phelps Insignias I have had. Not the best guy to judge Bordeaux so the egg on my face took a while to dry when I took a way off base guess. All in all a very nice wine indeed.

"A sensational effort and one of the stars of the vintage, Smith-Haut-Lafitte's 2004 possesses an inky/blue/purple-tinged color as well as a sumptuous nose of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, blueberries, and blackberries. Surprisingly

Exotic, smoky, spicy, very alluring wine. Rather open, not fabulously concentrated, but there is a good presence created by a nice grip and freshness of fruit. Rather gentle. Certainly appealing, which again should make for very good drinking in the future.